Florida should scrap its new standardized test and use national exams in its place next year, a "simple solution" to the testing controversies and problems that plagued public schools this year, said Seminole County Superintendent Walt Griffin.

Griffin outlined his proposal -- which has the backing of the Seminole County School Board -- in a letter sent to Education Commissioner Pam Stewart late Monday.

He said he hoped Stewart and state lawmakers, who set Florida's testing rules, would consider his suggestions.

"They've heard a lot of complaining," he said. "They asked for a solution. This is a response to that."

The Florida Department of Education said Tuesday it was working on a response to Griffin's letter and had no other comment.

Seminole's School Board agreed in April that it would ask the state if it could opt out of the Florida Standards Assessment next year.

At the time, board members and Griffin said they were frustrated because the administration of FSA exams this year took too much time and was marred by technical problems that disrupted testing sessions for many students.

The district waited until testing was complete and it could gather more information before sending a formal proposal.

Griffin's letter suggested instead of the FSA, schools give students the Iowa Test and the SAT (and PSAT, a practice version).

The advantages, according to Griffin:

Both are paper-based exams unlike the FSA, which requires many exams to be given on computer. By eliminating computer-based testing, schools would be free of the disruptions caused by needing to schedule hundreds of students into testing sessions on a limited number of school computers.

The two national exams would take only four hours of testing per year per student. The FSA computer-based exams interrupted 31 days of classes for Seminole high schools.

As national exams, both would provide a way to see how Florida students stacked up to counterparts in other states.

Both are aligned to Common Core, as is the FSA, so they would still test content Florida students are being taught.

Griffin, who presides over one of the state's top-performing school districts, said if the idea is rejected, Seminole will continue to give the tests state law requires.

But, he said, he hoped the letter would prompt "some conversation."

The FSA, which debuted this year, was hotly criticized because of computer problems that interrupted testing sessions and because some feared the state had rushed its introduction.

The Florida Legislature this spring required a validity study on the FSA and said results could not be released until that work was done. So FSA scores likely won't be out until September when the state typically released state test scores in May and early June.

Griffin said state tests are meant to assess whether students have improved and mastered required content. The FSA "failed to achieve that goal," he wrote.

Griffin said he was a patient person, but said the problems with testing this year were too much.

"If I cannot stand up for the children and the students of Seminole County, I shouldn’t have this job," he said.